


Hero

by Saturn_Girl



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Spoilers if you are not caught up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16418780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saturn_Girl/pseuds/Saturn_Girl
Summary: A missing scene set shortly after the events of the Z Nation season 5 episode "Escape From Altura."





	Hero

“I don’t like this,” said Red as she peeked through her studio apartment’s blinds to watch the scene unfolding below.  Five Altura Militia soldiers surrounded someone near the gate, shouting and aiming their rifles at him until he was able to produce his human certification papers.  “Ted was right.  Now they’re even hassling people who are trying to leave!  They act more like storm troopers than protectors.  We can’t trust them anymore.”

She looked over at 10k, who was huddled quietly on her futon couch, his haunted blue eyes staring back at her.  She hadn’t really expected a response.   He hadn’t spoken since the explosion, not a word.  Nor had he shed a single tear.  Not even when his wrist was cauterized, or when Sun Mei had probed him about his pain levels, or when Red had coaxed him into donning new clothes that weren’t soaked in blood. 

Sun Mei had told Red he was still in shock and trying to process the trauma, and that she should be patient with him while both his mind and body healed.  Red thought she was up for the task.  She remembered how difficult it had been for 10k to recover from his Murphytown ordeal, but this had been far, far worse. 

10k was like a ghost trapped in a nightmare loop that he couldn’t escape.  He had problems focusing, and he moved so slowly, like his whole body was being impeded by a heavy fog.   He desperately needed rest to help his wound recover, but he hadn’t been able to sleep for more than an hour or two before he startled awake, his eyes frantic and his mouth agape in a silent scream, his whole body trembling.  Red would hold him until he could fall asleep again, and she cried for the both of them.

_This is all my fault.   Why did I leave him?  If I hadn’t gone to see Sun Mei, maybe he wouldn’t have been surrounded, maybe Sarge would still be alive, maybe he’d still have his hand…_

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself out of the black hole of guilt that had tugged at her every waking thought since the explosion.  What was done was done.  She could not change the past, and second guessing her actions would never make things better. 

_No.  I will not fall apart.  He needs me now more than ever!_

She walked over to sit next to him on the futon.  When she put her arm around him, he leaned into the embrace, seeking comfort.  She kissed his temple and pulled him closer, resting her head on his shoulder.   At least he was acknowledging her presence, even if he wasn’t able to speak yet.

 “Oh, Tommy.  I know things are bad.  But we’ll get through this, I promise,” she assured him, her eyes bleary with unshed tears. 

Mentally and physically exhausted, she hoped to convince herself that her words were true.  He responded by lacing his fingers with hers and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.  For the first time in days she allowed herself the hint of a smile as she snuggled against him.  Although the current circumstances were dire, Red had missed 10k and was incredibly grateful to have him back in her life.

Red had wanted to find Doc and the others as soon as 10k was stable, but Sun Mei had urged them to remain in case 10k’s wound became infected.  Red reluctantly conceded, since Altura had a much larger stockpile of antibiotics and medical supplies than Pacifica, and 10k unfortunately was in no shape to fight either the vigilantes or the zombies outside the gates.  But she knew 10k would rebound faster if he was near his friends, so she was determined to get him to Pacifica as soon as Sun Mei said it was safe. 

Assuming the Alturans would even let them leave.  The once safe community now felt more like a police state than a sanctuary.

_How could things get so bad so quickly?_

It was long past noon, and Red’s stomach started rumbling.  Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of 10k’s arms and rummaged through her cabinets to find something for lunch.  Sun Mei said she needed to make sure 10k ate regularly to give his body the calories it needed to recover.

She pulled out a can.  “I have some minestrone, does that sound okay?”   10k nodded.  Altura had restored electricity to some of the housing units, and luckily Red’s studio was one of them.  She had a working hot plate that even after all these months still felt like a luxury item.  She savored the scent of the broth as she heated the soup.  Even though it came out of a can, it still reminded her of the homemade minestrone her mom would prepare on cold days back before the whole world fell apart.

_I miss you, Mom.  I sure could use your advice right now.  You always knew the right things to say to make me feel better._

Red was pleased to see 10k gingerly make his way to the small table she had tucked along the far wall.  He was moving on his own initiative!  That was a great sign.  Previously, she’d had to instruct him to do even the simplest of tasks, like he was an automaton waiting for input.

She walked over the two bowls of soup and set them down on the table.  She automatically started to shift her chair next to his so she could feed him, like she had since the accident, but this time he shook his head.

“No,” he croaked, his voice rumbly from disuse.  “I need to do it.”

Red’s heart leapt.  He spoke!  But she tried not to show him how excited she was as she handed him a spoon. 

10k fumbled a bit with the spoon in his left hand, but with slow and deliberate motions he was able to feed himself the soup.  He spilled it sometimes, and that seemed to frustrate him, but he kept at it until he finished the whole bowl.

10k had been so focused on relearning how to hold a spoon that he hadn’t noticed how intently Red had been watching him.  When he saw her smiling at him, he blushed.  “It’s just soup.”

Red beamed at him.  “You’re right.  It’s just soup.”  She finished off the last few sips of her own bowl before putting the dirty dishes in the sink to clean later.  She grabbed her grey cowl off the hook by the door and wrapped it around herself.  She held up 10k’s jacket.

“Come on.  I promised Sun Mei I would take you in this afternoon so she can check on your hand…” Red cringed as soon as the word left her mouth and she saw 10k nervously clench his jaw.  “Sorry!  I’m sorry… I meant Sun Mei wants to check on your dressing.”

Instead of letting Red dress him, 10k took the jacket and awkwardly folded himself into it, dropping the sleeve a few times before he got it draped the right way.  He winced as his bandaged stump brushed along the inside of the sleeve, but with effort he was able to get it on.  She squeezed his shoulder. 

“We have to be really careful and sneak over to the clinic.  I still have my certification papers, but that goon squad out there may give you a hard time until we can retrieve yours.”

“Do I…do I look like a Talker now?” 10k asked sadly, eyes cast down at his bandaged wrist.

“No.  No, Tommy, you are alive.”  She stroked his cheek and guided his face to look into her eyes.  “Thank God for that.  Don’t worry.  I won’t let them do anything to you, I promise!” 

Although he was a man now, his forlorn face somehow looked much younger than the day they first met.  It made her want to protect him all the more until he could regain the quiet confidence and enduring courage she knew was still there, deep in the fiber of his very being.  He might be rattled now, but 10k was a fighter, maybe the strongest fighter she had ever known. 

_He might not believe in himself right now, but I believe in him. And I swear to God, I will kill anyone who tries to tear him down._

They made their way down the stairwell, and waited for the guards to walk by their building before they made their way onto the street.  Red hustled them down a back alley that she knew was the quickest route over to Sun Mei’s lab.

They were almost to the science building, but Red and 10k froze in their tracks when a woman’s voice suddenly yelled at them from behind.  “You!  Hey, you there!  Stop!”

Red instinctively started to reach for her papers, but to her surprise the woman yelling at them was not in a militia uniform.   Red did not know her name, but she recognized her as a shopkeeper at one of the market stands.  She also recognized the young black girl standing next to her.   Her name was Vera, a very sweet child who loved to hold her friend Ted’s baby when given permission.

“It’s you!  You’re still alive!”  The shopkeeper rushed over, tears running down her face, and enveloped 10k in a ferocious hug.  He stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do with his arms while she sobbed against his shoulder.  “Thank you!  Thank you!”

Vera joined them and tugged on the woman’s coat.  “Is it him, Mama Kate?  Is this the man who rescued you?”

“Yes, yes baby, it is!” the woman cried.  She pulled herself away from 10k and dried her tears on her coat sleeve.  “I’m sorry.  You saved my life, and I don’t even know your name…” For the first time she noticed 10k’s injury.  Her eyes widened.  “Oh my Lord, did those things do that to you?”

Before 10k could respond, the young girl embraced him.  “Thanks mister!  The monsters took my mommy, and my daddy, and my big brother, but because of you I still have my Mama Kate!”

For the first time in what felt like forever, 10k smiled.  He patted Vera gently on the head while she hugged him and looked over at Red with a bemused grin on his face.  Red couldn’t stop a tear from rolling down her face as she took in the scene.

“I’m Red, and this is Ten Thousand,” she told her.   

“I was so terrified, I just ran…” Kate cried.  “The Zs were coming from everywhere, I couldn’t find Vera, and I didn’t know what to do!”  She put her hand on 10k’s good arm.  “Please forgive me, Ten.  You didn’t deserve to get hurt while helping a complete stranger.  You’re a goddamn hero!”

He softened, choked up and unsure of how to respond.  He kneeled down to give Vera a better hug.  He stroked her hair while the tears rolled freely down his face.

He kissed Vera’s forehead and pulled himself to his feet.  “I’m sorry…but…this is…this is just too much!”  He stumbled a bit as he hurriedly backed away towards the science building, his eyes begging Red to follow him.

Red squeezed Kate’s hand before leaving to join 10k.  “I’m glad you made it out alive.”  She waved goodbye to Vera and stepped up her pace to catch up with 10k as he entered the building.

He made it to the stairwell before he collapsed upon the steps, big keening sobs falling unabated from his lips.  Red pulled him into her arms as all the grief bottled up inside spilled out.

“She’s wrong!  Sarge died because of me.   I’m no hero, I’m no hero, I’m no hero!” he cried.  “It was all my fault!”

_How is it that we both blame ourselves? Maybe we’re both wrong._

“Go ahead, Tommy.  Let it out,” Red told him as she stroked his hair. “Let it all out.”

“I was so stupid!” he sobbed, clutching her like a lifeline.  “I screwed up!  How am I supposed to..what am I…” He trailed off, unable to form words between the intense sobs wracking through his lank form.

“Listen to me.  Vera, that little girl?  She lost everything, but she got a second chance.  And you kept Vera from losing her new mom.  YOU did that.  No matter what happened next, always remember that you kept a family together.  Let yourself have that!”  She kissed the tears from his cheeks.

“Everything is so fucked up. Sarge…my hand… I-I don’t know if I can do this,” he whimpered, his whole body trembling.

“I do,” Red told him.  “Have you forgotten?  I watched you die, and I watched you come back.   I watched you build yourself back up after everything Murphy did to you.”  She gently leaned her forehead against his.  “I love you, and I know you’re stronger than you think.”

“I’m no hero,” he insisted.  “Sarge…Sarge was the real hero!  The next time I see that little girl, I’m gonna tell her that.”

“She was incredibly brave.  When you’re ready, I want to hear more about Sarge, too.”

10k looked surprised.  “Really?  Are you sure?”

“Yes.  Of course I am!  I owe her my life, and she loved you.  I don’t want you to ever think you can’t talk about her, or anyone else that you’ve lost.  You are not alone, do you hear me?”   Red kissed him, and when he responded in kind she let herself forget all their troubles and appreciate that they were finally together again.


End file.
